Bargnani might very well be a disaster no matter WHO he plays with. He certainly didn't help them this past season, and he had two decent defensive big men surrounding him, who are exactly the type of players that Bargnani apparently needs to play with.

All things considered, I'd take Perkins over Bargnani any day of the week because Perkins isn't going to be a liability on one end of the court, like Bargnani is. Besides, having three big men who defend, rebound and won't hurt you on offense is never going to be a disaster. Yes, Amir hits when he's open, which means you can't leave him open. You leave Davis open and he immediately moves to a spot where he will hurt you on offense. You don't NEED your big men to create mismatches and open up the middle. You just need them to defend, rebound and score efficiently, which they do.

Perkins is a better player for the team, I think it's pretty obvious if a team like Chicago, LA or Dallas had to pick between Bargnani or Perkins they'd all pick Perkins, but I think Bargnani's trade value is higher than that. I think that the Raptors would be taking steps backwards if they trade Bargnani for Perkins straight up. I don't think that Perkins would help the Raptors long term.

The point isn't really whether Bargnani is better than Perkins, cause he isn't. Bargnani is more (wasted) talented, but Perkins definitely helps your team more. But I would definitely be disappointed if Colangelo traded Bargnani for Perkins. Just like Okafor is a better player than Bargnani, I'd still have mixed feelings over a Bargnani-Okafor trade.

Perkins is a better player for the team, I think it's pretty obvious if a team like Chicago, LA or Dallas had to pick between Bargnani or Perkins they'd all pick Perkins, but I think Bargnani's trade value is higher than that. I think that the Raptors would be taking steps backwards if they trade Bargnani for Perkins straight up. I don't think that Perkins would help the Raptors long term.

The point isn't really whether Bargnani is better than Perkins, cause he isn't. Bargnani is more (wasted) talented, but Perkins definitely helps your team more. But I would definitely be disappointed if Colangelo traded Bargnani for Perkins. Just like Okafor is a better player than Bargnani, I'd still have mixed feelings over a Bargnani-Okafor trade.

I'd be disappointed if they traded Bargnani for Perkins because I think the last thing they should do is trade for a starting center. Not when they've got Valanciunas, waiting in the wings. If they didn't, I wouldn't have a problem, although I'd rather see them get a lottery pick for him.

Hopefully Bargnani answers at least one question surrounding rebounding/defense deficiencies and if he is planning on or has worked to address this. Not that his answer really matters but it would be good to get a better answer than this:

Bargnani is asked how he gets beat on the boards.

"Being lazy maybe," he says. "That's the only reason it can be. I've got the body, I've got everything to take 10 rebounds a game. It's just sometimes I get lazy."

He needs to fix that, obviously. He needs to play with more focus.

"Yeah," Bargnani agrees. "More focus. You said it. More focus and don't get lazy."

I'd be disappointed if they traded Bargnani for Perkins because I think the last thing they should do is trade for a starting center. Not when they've got Valanciunas, waiting in the wings. If they didn't, I wouldn't have a problem, although I'd rather see them get a lottery pick for him.

I'd love it if somehow Colangelo could get another lottery or even midrange pick next year, Kabongo is only rated at 18th on some mocks.. But I don't think any team would be stupid enough to trade away a lottery pick for Bargnani.

I'd love it if somehow Colangelo could get another lottery or even midrange pick next year, Kabongo is only rated at 18th on some mocks.. But I don't think any team would be stupid enough to trade away a lottery pick for Bargnani.

A team with a cast of veteran players and in need of a scoring punch who also have a defensive C and SF might be interested *Cough* Milwaukee *Cough*.

Statline was pretty good in Italy's 80-68 loss to Serbia - 8/15 from the field , 6/6 from the FT line (22 points), 9 boards, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots in 34 minutes. The supporting cast - Belinelli and Gallinari pretty much failed to show up.

Statline was pretty good in Italy's 80-68 loss to Serbia - 8/15 from the field , 6/6 from the FT line (22 points), 9 boards, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots in 34 minutes. The supporting cast - Belinelli and Gallinari pretty much failed to show up.

Game was really close in the 4th quarter, Serbia's 18 point lead was down to four. Italy are going to have a tough time in their group, but Sebia is one of the best teams in the group. Gallinari played decently, although he didn't score much in the second half. Belinelli was poor, with his usual shot selection. Can't wait to see Valanciunas' first game now.

At least he's going to be busy playing ball and improving his game. The way Casey has been talking Bargnani is going no where and its more likely for Ed or Amir to leave town.... Just imagine, we're in the Twilight Zone... Or at least the Raptors organization pre-Colangelo begging for his job and saying everything the fans wanted to hear.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King